Tomorrow we head off down country to Lake Trasimeno, our next stop.
Saturday 31st.
We are back in Venice again. We have just been up the campanile of St. Giorgio and took some lovely panoramas of the view. Now, after a slow vaporetto ride, we are in the ghetto awaiting a pizza.
Friday 30th.
Today is the day of the vaporetto strike - the tour boats seem to be taking people across so it is probably just as busy over there. But we went out on the bikes to explore the local area. Very flat so ideal cycling country. We went to the point where you look across the lagoon to Venice.
This afternoon we headed up the lagoon side of this spit of land. Very quiet lanes and dedicated cycle lanes.
In the evening we were treated to an amazing firework display over Venice - well it was a thunder storm really but incredible lightning that went on for several hours. Note to self - find out how to photograph lightning and buy a waterproof camera!
Then we explored the dunes - an area sealed off to traffic to encourage flora and fauna. We saw some good birds - a shrike and a jay and heard orioles and hoopoes. And we saw our first orchid!
And several 'don't knows'
Katespotted a shrike sitting on a telegraph wire bad I spotted a hoopoe sitting twenty feet away from the shrike.
Thursday 29th.
We took the vaporetto to Burano to explore the back streets. Extraordinary.
Then we hopped on another vaporetto to Torcello which is the quietest of the islands. We looked around the cathedral and the museum and tried to find footpaths but it is very private and they don't encourage explorers.
Wednesday 28th.
Back in Venice for some culture. We have spent the morning in Ca' Persaro studying 20th century art and Chinese artefacts from ancient times.
We are now sat in Campiello St. Agostin with beer (sorry Dafydd) and pizza.
Some photos from yesterday.
We got damp in the afternoon but nothing serious.
Tuesday 27th.
In Venice. We bought our seven day pass for the vaporetto.
( we were told there is a strike on Friday!). We seem to have coincided with the Special Olympics teams.
We walked through Arsenale then lunched on a church steps. We are now drinking beer and coffee but only for the free wifi!
Monday 26th.
We left Lake Como under a cloud..... a rain cloud. We headed for Venice avoiding tolls and Switzerland! The route took us up and over the mountains - at one point we were at 1800m and above the snow line on Passo di Tonale.
Rain and clouds all around and not a particularly photogenic lunch spot.
But as we got lower and onto the flat lands the weather improved and the sun came out at we headed round the lagoon to our site - an agricampo site with about twenty pitched and new facilities.
And only five minutes walk to the ferry. This was our first sight of Venice..
Sunday 25th.
This morning we walked up the lake to Gravedonna. Another picturesque town with an old section hidden behind a newer area.
Lots of intriguing back alleyways.
And doorways.....
We followed a recommendation from the girl on reception and had ice creams on the lakeside.
We bought bread for lunch then returned to the van for some peace and quiet.
Saturday 24th.
We awoke this morning to the sound of church bells playing the tune of Ave Maria. We have not overly exerted ourselves today. A short walk to the local shop to buy bread for lunch and then sitting on the lake shore reading our books. 
This the view.
After lunch I walked to Dongo to see if there was anything to photograph. There was.
We are planning another walk this evening once the heat of the day has passed.
We did go for walk..... We followed an old road that was first established by the Romans. It went through the old part of the town but came to an abrupt halt where a road had been driven through it in the sixties.
Friday 23rd. Italy.
Through the Mont Blanc tunnel and at last we are in Italy. 
We saw the back of the Mony Blanc Massif...
Then headed for Lake Como avoiding all the tolls. We had lunch in the middle of the Italian rice fields and even drove through the town of Arborio..
Then a rather odd cross country journey. We seemed to visit every single town and village on the way. Very beautiful but rather slow. We even paid a surprise visit to Switzerland! But we didn't have to pay any road toll - not sure how.
We drove through Lugano - who knew it was in Switzerland?
We are now settled on the shore of Lake Como in Camping Magic Lake, Dongo. You can see the lake through the gate...
Thursday 22nd.
A restful day. We walked this morning along the river, near the site. 
Then back to RosieMay to sit and read, have a restful lunch and plot a route to Lake Como for tomorrow.
Then off out again for a walk through the woods on the other side of the river, with our umbrellas as we were experiencing summer showers!
But every lining has a silver cloud....
And coming back through the trees we saw this, which is not listed in my Northern Europe flower guide, but looks like a pasqueflower relative.
Wednesday 21st.
A day exploring Chamonix and the surroundings. We walked to town and explored the shops and drank coffee. As there was a heat haze and clouds around the high mountain tops we decided not to go up in the cable car but to take the rack railway up to Montenvert overlooking the Mer de Glace glacier. 
We explored the various exhibitions explaining the formation of the glacier and an underground exhibition of rock crystals and then found a lunch spot out of the wind.
When we had seen everything we walked back to the station only to be told that the electric train that brought us up had broken down and we would have to wait while the broken one was recovered and the diesel backup train was sent up to us. It wouldn't happen if this was Switzerland!
They did offer us free coffee but as we had already sampled their poor excuse for cappuccino ( we have become coffee snobs now) we declined. When the diesel pulled in to the station an hour later a large cheer went up from the assembled mob.
We were able to spot the site on the way down.
Safely at the bottom we bought provisions, took more photos of the glacier below Mont Blanc and then walked back to the site.
Tuesday 20th.
Now this is a proper holiday. 
Croissants for breakfast and snow for supper!
Another long journey made longer by two diversions and the sat nat not understanding that when I said No Tolls I meant no going into Switzerland tolls as well! We nearly saw Geneva close up - we saw the border crossing and the toll signs but then did a hasty three point turn in the police station yard and took a cheaper road. Which took us to a very nice picnic spot for lunch...
The range of mountains in the background are the ones that gave Jurassic its name. And we drove up and down them on a scary road on our way to not going to Geneva. Fortunately we didn't have to go back over them!
Then on to Annecy - right through the middle in fact, town square and all! You have to love sat nav's.
We are now on the Camping Mer de Glacé site near Chamonix in the shadow of the Mont Blanc range. This is the view.
We are here for three nights and we have free wifi.
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